Days Gone By...

I was so excited about blogging. I thought that I would wind up my day with an entry more often than not. Once again I have failed my own expectations. Much has happened during the past few months since I have lasted posted, but I failed to sit down and record it. This post will consist of highlights from my ordinary life during the previous holiday season...

Thanksgiving was a nice event. I always enjoy that holiday. Giving thanks, in my opinion, is one of the tragically lost arts in our culture. We always seem to be demanding more and forgetting to be truly thankful and content with what we have... which, to be honest, is an awful lot. I was able to spent some really good time with our children retelling the original Thanksgiving Story. It hit me that these people, the Pilgrims and the Indians were not like us today. They did not sleep in elaborate homes with refridgerators stocked to the brim with food. They had to literally "work their fingers to the bone" just to survive.

The Pilgims were coming to a brand new land in order to worship the Lord according to the way they viewed proper worship in the Bible... they gave up all their original comforts in order to love the Lord their God with all of their hearts, souls, minds and strength. They came to this land sick, tired, scared, lonley and grieving for family members that were lost on the journey. They had to start from scratch... falling trees, making boards, building shelters, planting whatever seeds they had left, hunting foreign game, and worrying about the threat of those who inhabitated the land before them. Giving thanks under those circumstances was truly an act of the will... focusing on the things in their lives that were good, honorable, and praisworthy (Phil. 1:8). They chose to be thankful.

The Indians on the other hand, though I do not agree with their religious views, were none the less to be admired for their ability to give thanks. They were content in their hard lifestyle for they never new anything different. But as of recent months their homes were being disrupted by nosy foriegners who came waving guns and often shouting orders. The white man moved onto this land like it was theirs for the taking. The Indians had a lot of things that they could have complained about... but they chose to trust those who were moving in and share their commodities and knowledge inorder to help them get their "new start". Again, a chosen state of thanksgiving.

Lord, that I may be able to give you pure thanks...

Christmas was really nice. We were able to visit with almost all of our family on both sides. In a matter of 18 days we traveled to Chicago, Milwaukee, Moline, IL, Nebraska, and Northern IN. Yes, we were a bit road weary, but we had a nice time seeing all the people that we love so much.

Not many musing during this time that are worth reciting, but I must say that I always leave Christmas a little bit convicted. I feel like no matter how hard I try and can't seem to get enough Jesus in Christmas... does that sound silly. I desire to saturate myself with the FACT that God Almighty sent His Son into the world, Emmanuel, God with us! The fullness of the godhead bodily was given to us... what a monumental event. I can't even describe to you what I wish my heart could hold... I only know that when Christmas time is over I always feel like I missed something! Maybe that is one of the drawbacks of being clothed in flesh... I wonder what it will be like to celebrate the incarnation in glory. I am pretty sure that will be a theme for all eternity! Oh, that my heart could fathom some of that now...

New Years was kind of a "none-event" in the Ziegler home. We finished up our travels on New Years Eve and found ourselves with out plans for the first day of 2008. I went grocery shopping... actually that was kind of nice. Nobody else was doing what I was... I was kid-less and the aisles were free of all other human "clutter" (I am not saying that I think humanity is a bad thing... but sometimes it does hinder smooth shopping:)). I took my time and didn't forget anything on my list... amazing! Other than than, no big hooplah.

As I lookforward to what the Lord has planned for us in 2008 I can't help but remember these verses from Psalm 139...

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." vs. 8-10

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in you book before on of hem came to be." vs. 13-16

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." vs. 23-24

May we know the rich love of God this year. May we love Him with all our beings. Be He be pleased with our lifes as we live them according to his purposes.

Happy New Year to you!

Mood Swings...

For any of you who may of thought, "she really seems to have it all together..." this blog is for you!

Just a few days ago I was walking along our country road with my precious children thinking about how wonderful and simple my life is. Bliss...

Two days ago I was wondering why I ever thought that... Blah!!

Life as a stay at home mother has proven to be the greatest dichotomy that I have ever experienced. I am soaring with joy one minute and stuck in the biggest pit the next. I wish I could put my finger on what the problem is with me... I think it is probably to battle between my flesh (part of me that wants what I want, when I want it, no matter what... the part that loves sin) and my renewed spirit (the part of me that was changed when I trusted Christ, the part of me that really isn't me at all, but Him, the Lord, in the person of the Holy Spirit, in me). This is clearly spoken of in scripture (Romans 7:7-25; Galatians 5:16-17). It is a comfort to me to know that others who have loved God with all their heart and have strove to honor Him and glorify Him with their very lives have also struggled with this.

I love my children! This is not just a saying... it is fact. Yet I find myself being impatient, demanding, short tempered, sarcastic, nasty and hurtful to these 3 precious little ones. They are only children... what do I expect from them. Actually that is one of the problems... I often expect more from them then I expect from myself. I encourage them (and sometimes harp at them) to be loving, patient, kind, not repaying evil for evil, forgiving, not become easily offended, and to not let any unwholesome thing come out of their mouths... I should be taking my own advice.

So, for the past two days I have been struggling with this. I have been praying and I have asked others to pray for me as well. I know that this is not a battle between flesh and blood... that is a battle fought in the reality that we can not see... but I also know that I have been fully engaged in the fight. Through this time (and others that I have experienced and no doubt will experience again) I have been reminding myself of scripture that is TRUE...

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers. whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "Therefore we do not loose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Psalm 21:6-7 (adapted) "Surely you have granted me eternal blessings and made me glad with the joy of your presence. For I trust in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High I will not be shaken."

1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves therefore, under God's might hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."


Praise God that the Lord does not vacillate like I do. He is constant, true, trustworthy, faithful, and steadfast. I am so glad that Jesus loves me.

"On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand!"

This is the Life...

O.k. Today I thought I would share with you one of my ordinary days. Nothing spectacular, but still a wonderful day.

This morning I rose at about 7:a.m. (yes, it was saturday and no the Ziegler's do not honor the unwritten rule of sleeping in... though, frankly, 7 a.m. is sleeping in a little.)... it was very quiet so I thought that I was the only one up. After using the bathroom I meanered out into the kitchen and was greeted with a really nice picture... both my girls were snuggled up with thier daddy in his Lazy-boy (the full story of this chair will have to be explained in another post). They were beautiful. Not to long after that, Nathan ran up to me and said in his very excited 3-year old voice, "MOMMY!!", and threw his arms around me. Not a bad way to wake up I must admit.

After making coffee and hot chocolate, I sat on the couch with my kids and watched a little cartoons... fun! But, I started to feel like I have better "get around", what ever that means:). Mark and Emily left to run some errands... they were both excited about some special one-on-one time together. Nathan, Anna and myself just stayed home. The two young ones played with their neighbor friends and I puttered around the house... sorted laundry, paid bills, made bread, picked-up a little bit... just stuff. Later, after Mark and Em got home the kids and I took the dogs (we only own one, but three always come with us) for a walk. It was a beautiful day! We all really enjoyed the time outside. I kept thinking "this is what life is, enjoying the things that you have and not striving for anything different.". When we got home I grabbed a saw and chopped a few logs for the fire that we are planning to have tonight. Hot dogs and the fixings... sound nice. Anyway, as I was typing this Mark came in and said lets get the fire going... so I am going to log off now... just one more thought. Enjoy the simple days... they are wonderful and they are the ones that memories are made of.

What can be learned from a cat?

Today was just one of those very ordinary days. It was a good day. Not much stood out to me today except an instance with our cat K.C. (stands for Kitty-Cat... original, I know.). Here is the story...

Our oldest daugter has cat duty. Each morning she is to give food and water to the cats. She does this very faithfully and takes pride in her task. Last night the cats were around their dishes seemingly hungry. Our dog, Tessa, often snacks on their food, so I asked my daughter to give them a little bit to last them until morning. She said to me, "Mom, there is no more food." I went to look and she was right... not one small morsel remained in the storage bucket. The fact that she needs to remind me to get more food before the cats are starving is a subject to be left for another post. The point is, the cats were hungry and they were going to go with out food for about 15-18 more hours. Cruel!?! Maybe. But I wasn't going to change my clothes (out of my jammies) nor my plans for the night or the next morning to go into town and purchase more cat food. They would have to wait!

When the cats realized that food was not to be had indoors they went outside for the night... it's alright, we live in the country:)!! This morning, when I let the dog out, I was greeted by two very hungry cats. I confess I felt sorry for them. So I went to the fridge to try and find adequate feline fare. The only thing I was willing to part with were a few hot dogs. I diced them up (I know, pathetic) and put them out for the cats. Kinder, our young one, was thrilled with the option. He gobbled it right up and thanked me with a loud purrrrrrr! K.C. on the other had turned up his nose at the meal. Smart cat... I guess most of us should turn up our nose at a hot dog... but I digress. Not only was K.C. unimpressed with his choice for breakfast, he was at my heals all morning letting me know about it. I finally picked him up, threw him outside and thought, "don't wait around for me to feed you. You are a cat! Go and catch your own breakfast!". As soon as the thought was out of my head I felt a nudge in my heart from the Lord. I really believe that my next thought came from Him... not inspired, but profound. I thought, "Exactly! You too have every tool needed to feed yourself. Be careful not to depend too much on others to nourish you." Hmmmm! Needless to say, throughout my very ordinary day, I had some extraordinary thoughts...

God's word says in 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." Basically, a Christian has all they need to grow and succeed in the spiritual life. We have the Word of God (our knowledge of Him) and the Holy Spirit living in us (His divine power). Now, don't go thinking that I don't value the local church, pastors, teachers, friends or family. They are important to the vitality of our walk with Christ. But, what if we didn't have any of them? What if God called me to a time in my life where I didn't have any of those wonderful things available to me? What would happen to me... would I walk around and meow like K.C. demanding that I be fed? Or, could I simply use the tools that have been given to me as a daughter of the King to be fed and grow. I think that we American believers may find ourselves at times to be a little too dependent on others to give us what we need to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God and in His Wisdom. I know that I have been guilty of that many times.

So, in the middle of a very ordinary day the Lord has blessed me with a profound thought that I believe will stay with me for a good, long while.

Thank you Lord... and, oh, thanks K.C.!

By the way, I bought a large bag of MeowMix tonight. The cats are content:)

What percent are you?

My oldest daughter is always coming up with comments or questions that amaze me. A few days ago while we were eating breakfast she says, "Mom, what percent am I?". I looked at her with a very puzzled look and said "Huh?!?" (very intelligent, I know:)). She explained, "What percent am I when I do good things and what percent am I when I do wrong things?". I thought I understood her this time, but again I asked for more insight. She was trying to ask how much of her good behavior comes from her and how much of her good behavior is actually God... and, the antithesis, how much of her wrong behavior comes from her and how much of it comes from God. This, from a 7 year old... Wow!! O.K. My response was not a quick one... I had to think how to answer. I told her, "Well honey, the Bible says "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)". If you have asked Christ to be your savior God gives you his grace to do good... so I guess it is all God's good work when we behave well, but we do have to obey. But remember, even obedience is only possible through His grace." She nodded. Then I told her that there is no sin in God... he is unable to do wrong. So when we make wrong choices and do wrong things we are responsible. Our sin is our own fault.
She nodded again. I think she was satisfied... for the moment.

But, I got to thinking later... that is such an important question. As human beings we have to understand that our sin is nobodys fault but our own. We are responsible... we are subject to judgement for that sin. BUT... (and praise God for this) God send his only son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take on the punishment for the sin of the whole WORLD! He only asks that we believe in His Son, Jesus. The Bible says, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

If you have accepted this gracious gift of salvation, guess what! Before God the Father, in his eyes, you are 100% righteous... you are COVERED with the righteousness of His perfect, sinless Son, Jesus! That's how He sees you... "God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)!!!

So friend, what percent are you?

Welcome to my ordinary life!!

To all who read this blog, I welcome you to my ordinary life. The Lord God Almighty has been teaching me that "ordinary", when under the influence of His hand, is anything but!!

My life is fairly simple. I rise in the morning, get my husband off to work (with lunch and coffee in hand!), get my kids up and around, have school (we school at home with our children), make lunch, do household chores, make dinner, clean-up, get the kids ready for bed, read to them, tuck them in and settle down for a few hours of adult time (whatever that may be). Sounds pretty "ordinary", huh? Yep. That's honestly how I like it, but there have been lots of days when I question the worth of this simple existance. It was during bible time one morning with my kids that I read something that put it all into perspective for me...

In John 6:25-59 Jesus teaches his followers that he is the Bread of Life. At the beginning of these verses He tells those who were with Him that he knew their hearts. They were following him just because he recently fed them until they were full. He remineds them that they need to work for food that does not spoil but endures to eternal life. They then asked him "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jeses said something amazing! He said, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

This reminded me that no matter what I "do", whether ordinary or extrodinary, if I do it with a full understanding of who my Savior is... that He is sufficient, that He is Truth, that His word never fails, that He will never leave me or forsake me, that He will use the hard parts of my life to mature my faith, that He is the Almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords..., If I believe this and more about my Lord Jesus Christ, then even the mundain things of life have value beyond time! Praise the Lord!

So, I hope that you enjoy hearing about my ordinary life. I pray that what the Lord teaches me will in some way encourage you to seek Him in all that you do. For he promises that when we seek him, we will find him!